Ilario Fiametta III

Name: Ilario Fiametta III

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Grade: Senior [12th]

School: Bayview Secondary School

Hobbies and Interests: Business classes, Leadership club, Student Council, Debate club,

Appearance: With a slender 5'7" and 137lb frame, Ilario's overall appearance projects the image of a prim and proper young gentleman. With large dark-brown eyes, a pert nose, and smooth olive skin that matches nicely to dusty blonde hair, he is often described as cute rather than handsome. His oval-shaped face and willowy body, not to mention a perpetually slightly preoccupied look, makes him appear delicate and rather fragile. He prefers to dress smartly, typically wearing good slacks and button-down shirts, always top-label brands.

On the day of the abduction, Ilario was wearing black slacks, a pair of elegant leather loafers, and a green and white pinstriped button-down shirt with a smart black jacket.

Biography: Born into wealth and opulence as the son of well-known business magnate Ilario Fiametta Jr, Ilario Fiametta III was one of triplets; his siblings both being girls (Franscesca, or Frankie, and Rosalia, or Rosa). Unfortunately the pregnancy and birth proved too much for his mother, who passed during childbirth, her final act being to deliver the squalling triplets. As his father's work kept him away from the house mush of the time, the three were raised by a succession of nannies until they were ten, at which point his father remarried.

Ilario does not have a particularly strong relationship with his young and attractive stepmother, believing that his father married her more for the look of things than for anything like love, but he tries not to hold it against her. Still, this combined with the fact that neither of them have anything in common means that they typically try to give each other a wide berth, and often go days without speaking.

His relationship with his father, on the other hand, is extremely complicated. The elder Fiametta obviously and indiscreetly favors his son over his daughters, a fact which worries Ilario and contributes often to his anxiety. His father's view on life is very old-fashioned, and since he was a child Ilario was groomed to take over the business, and pushed to excel in everything he did, as well as many things he didn't do. As a result Ilario is active in several extra-curricular and school activities, including the Leadership Club, Student Council, and the Debate Club.

This is, however, not without its downside. Sophomore year Ilario hyperventilated and collapsed while working on an important economics paper, and as a result was found to suffer from anxiety disorders. Although he now takes anxiolytic and antidepressant medications to help control his mental state, he is still often nervous and high-strung, especially as his father continues to put pressure on him to be the best. In spite of all this, Ilario does appreciate his father's hard work and recognizes that it is solely up to him that the family has been able to live as they have. As such, he feels a strong sense of duty towards the elder Fiametta, and often pressures himself as hard or harder than his father, feeling like it's his responsibility to live up to Ilario Senior's legacy.

However, as much as he appreciates and understands what his father has done in life, as he has grown Ilario has begun to realize his father's shortcomings as well. Seeing his utter disregard for his children's wishes, his horrific favoritism that leaves both of Ilario's siblings in the dust, and the selfishness that means he is unable to care about anything which does not directly impact him or his business, Ilario has slowly begun to hate Ilario Fiametta II. Although he is almost unable to admit it to himself (and certainly would never admit it to anyone else), the anger and frustration is there, made worse by the fact that with every achievement that earns his father's praise he sees just how alike the two of them are. Ilario does not hate himself consciously, not yet, but at this point, it's only a matter of time.

As for his sisters, Ilario is far more a mother figure than their own stepmother. He takes the task given to him by his father very seriously - the task of watching out for and protecting his siblings. However, due to his father's favoritism, the relationship is often strained, and at this point it's easy to see that both Frankie and Rosa take his attitude towards them for granted, typically only spending time with him if they want something. Still, he loves them very much, and takes his charge seriously, typically bailing them out of trouble and often worrying needlessly about them.

Outside of family, he is kept incredibly busy by school and other activities, his life carefully planned down to the minute to leave little personal time that isn't spent on studying. Although he knows many people throughout the school thanks to all his clubs, he doesn't actually have anyone he would particularly classify as a friend - he simply has no time. As a result, he is often introverted in social situations, and simply doesn't understand how to have friendships.

Throughout his senior year his grades have been consistently high, although consequently his stress level has skyrocketed as well. Now waiting to hear back from Harvard School of Business, Ilario keeps himself busy, as he always has.

Advantages: Being so involved in many aspects of school life makes Ilario a fairly well known person. He is also known to keep a level head, making him a person many would be willing to listen to. Thanks to his various experiences he has become a skilled public speaker, convincing and diplomatic.

Disadvantages: Ilario may not be out of shape, but he is not as fit as many other students. He is also on medications which, should he lose or be otherwise unable to take Without them, will cause him to sink into depression or have severe panic attacks. His high-strung attitude could prove damaging, forcing him into decisions made illogically.

Designated Number: B074

---

Designated Weapon: Kiss of Death

Conclusion: You know, the littlest Fiametta girl really has it made. I doubt any of his classmates would give it a second look if he pulled out that quaint little lipstick-gun, what with his elegance and delicate sensibilities. Maybe he and B062 can get together as a sort of gender-reversed Thelma and Louise.

'The above biography is as written by faceinabook. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.'

Evaluations
Handled by: faceinabook

Kills: Jackson Ockley, Etain Brennan, Timothy Skula, Kevin Warick, Claire Lambert, Reiko Ishida, Ivan Kuznetsov

Killed By: Suicide via gunshot

Collected Weapons: Kiss of Death (assigned weapon), AK-47 (Best Kill Award, Day 3), SPAS-12 (from Rhory Anne Broderick)

Allies: Jackson Ockley, Rhory Anne Broderick

Enemies: Kris Hartmann, Rhory Anne Broderick, Claire Lambert, Reiko Ishida, Ivan Kuznetsov

Mid-game Evaluation: Ilario was beyond sense upon awakening, immediately attacking fellow student Jackson Ockley with a rock. Ilario only realized he had no chance when it was too late- Jackson broke the pin on him and reversed it, pinning Ilario prone underneath himself. Ilario punched back futilely, to be punished with a painful knee to the groin that caused Ilario to puke. Ilario lay vulnerable, his heavy breathing and fearful paranoia quickly devolving to a proper panic attack and near aspiration that could have choked him to death- Jackson only narrowly saved him with mouth-to-mouth. Ilario tried to thank a dismissive and cold Jackson, when he realized the scope of the fate that had befallen his class and his sisters in particular he doubled down on his attempts to apologize and win Jackson's trust. Jackson continued to rebuff him and began to depart- Ilario however was determined to see things through, to protect his sisters at any costs, and he ran after Jackson.

The two hid away in the darkness outside the ranger's station, Jackson offered Ilario cigarettes, which he took after some deeply instilled hesitation. They shared that moment, but Ilario continued to be unnerved by the silence settled between them that he couldn't talk his way out of. He fiddled with his bag and found his weapon- which Jackson looked at right when Ilario accidentally triggered the firing mechanism. Jackson was immediately killed, one of his eyes destroyed by the bullet. Ilario kept himself from panicking, futilely and single-mindedly pursuing CPR until interrupted by Michael Moretti and Violet Druce, the latter of whom yanked him away from his efforts, bewildered by what he'd done. Ilario was of no sound mind and continued to believe he could fix what he had done. He ignored Matthew's suggestion of burial, ignored their somber parting words as they quickly departed the scene. Ilario watched over Jackson, and it wasn't until next morning's announcements clearly called him out that he finally accepted that Jackson was dead. He seized onto his winning BKA with dour dutifulness, wanting anything to move on to, and choking down his anxiety medication as he departed.

Ilario made it to the warehouse to find he'd been given an AK-47 as a weapon, which he had never imagined wielding when learning about it in classes. He deliberately figured out the gun, it's weight, it's workings, while steeling himself for what was to come. Despite his murder of Jackson he resolved to be the hero he thought he was, and to protect his sisters. He resolved that everyone else that has killed must be put down, and departed on that note.

Ilario stumbled onto one of the island's then major killers, Kris Hartmann, not believing his luck. He took cover behind a nearby tree and braced himself, thinking of the good he'd do and the people he'd make proud as he protected them- he noted a boy with Kris but assumed he could handle it. His opening salvo cut down Etain instead, while Kris collapsed into hysterical grieving Ilario was left to grasp at his self-justification, he quickly re-cast the boy he killed in a villainous light for his own sake. He wasn't able to open fire again until Kris got up, searching for him with hateful vengeance. By the time their eyes met and Ilario got over his sudden burst of terror Ilario was finally able to fire, but he missed. Kris doubled back, hoisting Etain's corpse and fleeing deeper into the swamp. Ilario lambasted himself for his failure, but doubled down and resolved to follow Kris and make sure he didn't miss again, he did so while downing more pills to keep his nerves steady.

Ilario would eventually lose Kris, a relative lack of fitness costing him his pursuit. He remained optimistic that he'd continue to do his duty, and that he and Kris would meet again. He worked his way up to the coastline, and emerged from the trees due to shouting. He evaluated the boy he saw for threats, and was quick to determine that there was enough at stake that he had to open fire despite the unknowns. He quickly cut down Timothy, who crumpled into a rock and became a rather messy corpse that grossed out Ilario. Ilario refused to contemplate that he'd made a mistake with this murder, but found himself suddenly compelled to pray all the same, despite the fact that he himself knew it was a waste of time, too little and too late. He moved on, still determined.

Ilario wandered back into the woods, where he found a familiar face starting to bathe in a river. Rhory Anne Broderick, who he'd nursed a rare sexual attraction to back in school, was bloodstained and toting a gun, and he'd determined it was his duty to gun her down as well. He even believed, due to a glamour of the lighting in that part of the woods, that god was influencing him to take the kill. He took his time, reflecting on what the kill would mean, but then Rhory began to freak out as her own actions finally took their mental toll. She screamed, a sound that cause Ilario anguish to where he had to drop the gun. He couldn't understand why, but he could only bring himself to watch as she eventually calmed down, dressed, and moved on. Still hidden, he rested for the night, suddenly less sure of himself, and haunted by bad dreams.

Ilario lost track of time as he wandered, his thoughts now consumed by realizations of how deeply Rhory had affected him- his lust for her seemed to him weak and pathetic, as announcements confirmed she was a killer. He was distraught, and finding a warm body resting in the greens area he was immediately inclined to shoot at it, thinking it might have been her. Kevin tried to stumble away as one bullet broke his shoulder, Ilario followed, barely even thinking of what he was doing as he took two more shots, more focused on finding some inner peace for his sudden turmoil. Kevin was down with a bullet to the chest, Ilario closed the distance and confirmed it wasn't Rhory. He immediately justified himself as having 'saved' Kevin from possibly doing evil in the future, tried to voice that much to Kevin. Kevin called him out with what strength he had left before giving into his wounds. Ilario, now calm, apologized aloud, but continued to note to himself that he was ending lives where they needed to be cut down, even if he himself was also a murderer in the process. He considered himself justified, and once more affirmed to himself that he was a hero.

He tried to rest in the sawmill, a blunder that allowed Rhory to subdue him after getting his gun away from him. With him as captive audience she asked about Jackson- he in turn knew that Jackson and Rhory had been an item. He doubted her motive, internally accusing her of her of cynically trying to humanize herself with Jackson's memory. He gave her the answers she wanted- he, Ilario, killed Jackson and made it hurt. He began to rant, about his crusade, and how Jackson's sacrifice put him on his path. Announcements interrupted them, however. His sister Frankie was confirmed dead, he couldn't accept it, and as Rhory began to rub it in to torment him Ilario lost what was left of his composure, screaming and venting until Rhory shut him up and knocked him out.

He came to not long after, helpless and tied to a post. He began to cry and demand Rhory shoot him, she eventually lowered her gun and refused. She intended to see him apologize for his actions- he once more weakly tried to defend his mistakes but she refused to allow it. After the terse exchange Ilario reluctantly agreed to Rhory's terms and she freed him.

They took refuge in a ferris wheel cart in the fairgrounds, where Rhory could keep an eye on him as he struggled to rest, haunted by obsessions of how to fight back, how to take revenge. Eventually she drifts off at some point, and he turned the tables on her, now holding her hostage with her own gun. He reported that as she slept Rosa, his other sister, was also confirmed dead. She apologized dully but then took it back, briefly spitting out her justifications for being a murderer at him. She held him responsible for being a horrible person, like the person she'd had to kill in some form of self-defense. Ilario continued to bluster, increasingly unnerved, trying to maintain his status quo with Jackson, but it began to fall apart. He'd lost Rosa and Frankie, but somehow he felt divine inspiration to latch onto Rhory, to truly make up for his crimes by protecting her. He begged for her forgiveness, which she refused, but she does accept his offer of unconditional aid with some bemusement. They moved on.

Ilario dragged himself on for some time, eventually taking the lead as Rhory started to slow due to her worsening nicotine withdrawal. They passed by the cell phone tower area when another voice and Rhory began to exchange tersely- the darkness made it difficult for Ilario to be sure of what was happening, and he had to hang back, only prepared to do what he had to, to protect Rhory.

Unfortunately, even though the situation was defused, Ilario lost Rhory when they went back into the swamp. He found Claire again, and drew his gun on her immediately as she did on him. While he doesn't recognize her he attempted to get a read on the threat, once more readily prepared to cast his judgement and declare her unworthy of living if she'll be a threat to Rhory. He recognized her as a killer from the same set of announcements as Jackson's death, and he determines as he had many times before that her death is necessary. His uneasiness evaporated, once more in his element he opens fire with a quick apology. One of his three bullets brings her down, the fourth he deliberately took as she's down finishes it before she can even fire back. In the aftermath it dawned on him that Rhory was probably gone, he cries violently, which seems to clear his head. With that he could once more take comfort in his self-assurance- he'd find Rhory, and protect her. He could sleep at ease for once, dreaming of reuniting with his sisters someday.

He never would find Rhory. By the time announcements call endgame he'd confirmed that Rhory killed herself, he would think of her, fallen, with some regret. He contemplated everyone that was lost, who would never have a chance to make something of themselves. With one final and bold assertion to himself that he'd stop the murderers left, with his dull acknowledgement that he'd yet failed and failed time and time again, and with plenty of what was left of his pills downed, Ilario prepared to claim victory.

Endgame consisted of five including himself: they congregated in the town square. Ilario cautiously took stock of each of his opponents by name as he approached, considering that they all had to die, and that he was the only hero left to do the job. He took post on a vista overlooking the central area first, and the first shots were fired in his sights. Reiko Ishida gunned down Ericka Bradley in front of him, he stalked her as she took to a sidealley unawares and was able to open fire before she could react. He brought her down with a bullet to the face- she collapsed, unable to respond as he slowed, apologized and offered her his justifications in brief. He confirmed this was what had to happen, as he executed her.

He tracked down the remaining two alive by the sound of gunshots, to find that the house they'd blundered into had exploded into flames. He ran into the burning home, found Ivan Kuznetsov. The two immediately had guns pointed at one another- they both bluffed some with an attempt at speaking, but that quickly ended, as Ilario recalled Ivan's kills and rankled at the injustice. Ilario fired first but Ivan reacted faster, taking cover further up the stairwell between them and holding Ilario down with supressing fire from his automatic. Ilario knew his ammo was dangerously low to engage in a firefight- with resolve and desperation he threw himself into a melee the moment Ivan needed to reload. Ilario landed some hits, took some brutal jabs back. They were both staggered, and their guns lost in the exchange. Each boy ran for their weapon- Ilario was faster, and Ivan was down. Ivan this time wanted to be heard- he cut Ilario's apologies short and explained himself with his dying breaths, the reason he'd had to kill. He begged Ilario to give something he'd saved from Tabi Gweneth, the girl he'd saved with his kills. Ilario accepted it, for once willing to admit Ivan had had reasons, had perhaps not been unredemable. Ilario determined he'd take Tabi's memory home- staggered out of the house.

The final girl, Kimberly Nguyen, was momentarily in his eyes a phantom of Rhory. He was slow to action, for once, merely stating that Kimberly had to die rather than taking any clear action to that effect. They were able to converse, which surprised Ilario, that Kimberly's requests were reasonable, relatable. That her attempts at reaching out to him were somehow successful. Her request for a little more time drew his own demons out of him- he admitted what had happened with Rhory, how he'd failed to save her, or anyone. Kimberly surprised him by understanding his motives, accepting that he'd done what he'd felt was right. That allowed him to accept, to some extent, the truth of the matter- he'd never had a chance of saving Rhory, or his sisters. He decided there was one more person he could save. He gave Kimberly Tabi's ribbon, promised her she'd be alright, and ended his own life with his final bullet.

Post-Game Evaluation:

Memorable Quotes:

Other/Trivia

 * Ilario is the second SOTF finalist to commit suicide, after Ricky Callahan.
 * Ilario won the BKA for killing Jackson Ockley.

Threads
Below is a list of threads that contain Ilario, in chronological order.

Past Memories:
 * Don't Tell And We Won't Ask
 * Where Do You Draw The Line?

Pre-Game:
 * Debate Exposes Doubt
 * Decisions, Decisions

V4:
 * Unquestioned Answers
 * Act I: General Anesthetic
 * Paper Tigers
 * Nothing But Soundwaves
 * Slow Cheetah
 * ✝ (Content Warning)
 * Nothing To See
 * Act II: A Mirror Dimly (Content Warning)
 * The Ground Won't Break To Save Your Fall
 * This Will Eat You Alive
 * The Worse Things That We'll Do
 * from the chasm to the core
 * Some Kind Of Righteous
 * Everybody Loses (V4 Endgame)

Your Thoughts
''Whether you were a fellow handler in SOTF or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Ilario Fiametta. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here!''
 * Ilario's another favorite of mine from V4. Rose is a fantastic writer, and Ilario represented probably her most focused effort. What was fascinating about him was that he managed to tread the line between some of the biggest V4 villain pitfalls. Ilario did bad things, first by mistake but later on as he fell more and more into the idea that he was a hero. While he lacked the perspective to see how badly he was justifying his actions, his narrative did not. While staying fully melded with Ilario's point of view, it still managed to avoid condoning his actions, presenting him instead as misguided and too caught up in his own ideas to realize that he wasn't the good guy.

Rose also did a very good job of showing how Ilario fell increasingly out of control once off his medicine. He became mentally and emotionally unstable, in a way that was never directly called out but was very evident and unsettling. For all that he caused trouble for others, Ilario was also a victim. He was messed up by chance and circumstance, and also by Rhory, who set about dismantling him as effectively as she could. Their dynamic was another thing I found very interesting, because it moved beyond the usual two person interactions we see in SOTF. They weren't exactly friends or enemies, certainly weren't romantic, but still very much became a unit. There were hints that things might get better, that an understanding might be reached, but a lot of that was just Ilario searching and seeing what he wanted to see, just as he cast himself as a hero.

He was desperate, I think, in a way few other characters on SOTF have been. Ilario had two sisters in the game, who he truly cared about. At the same time, he always seemed scared for himself. He had a lot to lose because of his siblings and at the same time didn't seem very certain how to deal with that inevitability. He basically used Rhory to replace them, because he needed somebody else to let him be a hero and protector, and then, once Rhory died, he went looking for new ways to spin his personal narrative. He's a psychological study, which is cool to see in a villain, because it let him move the plot while also being a very interesting character to read.

As with any character, there are a few places that I think could've been handled a bit more smoothly in retrospect. Ilario's story was not the easiest to follow, because a lot of it came through lengthy one-shots (often collaboratively written). He had a lot of stuff, but it was more sporadic than with many other characters. The other thing was that, like many V4 characters, Ilario spent a lot of time in private threads, but really had more of a chance to grow when interacting with characters outside that environment. I feel like he and Rhory worked well together, but he had some truly fantastic scenes where he played off other people, too, and there was a lot less opportunity for that when they were together.

On the whole, though, Ilario's one of my favorites. He was a deep character, and a villainous sort who, despite all the bad things he did, I still held a ton of sympathy towards throughout. He's a great character, who I think is very much worth checking out. - MurderWeasel